Flexible coupling



G. F. ECKART.

FLEXIBLE CUUPLING.

APPucATmN mio uLv24.19|9

` Patented Apr. 20, 1920.

i?z ver2 Zar UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

GEORGE F. ECKART. OF LEXINGTON. KENTUCKY.

FLEXIBLE COUPLING.

Application tiled July 24.

To l lr/w//i may concern le it known that I, (leonor: l". Zensur, aeitizenv of the United States, residing at Lexington, in the county ofFayette and vState of Kentucky, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Flexible Couplings, ot' whieh the following is aspeeification.

.\ll\ invention relates to flexible couplings and partieularly to thoseadapted to take op eertain torsional or endwise strains or shoeloy aswell as bending strains due to mis alinements which may he eaused eitherby Ihe shafts heing out of parallel or by the `hails` being ofl'set.

A\l.\ invention is fully leserihed and explained in the followingrspeeific'ation and shown in the aeeonipalrving drawings. in \\'hic'h-Figure l is a longitudinal section of a roupling showing aneml'iodiinent of my invenliull 2 Fig. 2 is a partial transverse sectionon the line QWJ of Fig. l:

Fig. 3 is an end view of the ('oneentric Lyiving plate. and

Fig. 4 is a partial seetion on the line 4-4 #ilI 2.

l ha ve illu-trated m invention in eonnertion with a flexible couplinghaving a pair of' opposing members 1U. eaeh having a flange ll. to whichare seeured plates lf2-hy any .suitable means as bolts 13.

The plates 1'2 have a fronntersink 14 and holes 1T and lll. A spring 17is fitted into this eountersink and has pins '1% engaging the holes l5in the plates 12.

l have weferahly arranged another -spring 19 within this spring. Thisspring also earries longitudinally projecting pins '20 which engage thehole 16 in the plates 12. The outer spring is thus held in alinement hymeans of the munter-sink 14 and it in turn aets as a guide for the innerspring 19. ln assembling. these springs are given an initial twist so asto plaee them under an initial torsional strain. eaeh spring aetingagainst the other. The flanges l1 and plates l2 are out ont so as toform eon eentrirallv arranged pockets Q1 in whieh are plaf'ed hallsThese balls are drilled to revolve bolts QR having heads Q-l andlorlmlut:-v The outer edges of the socket are eut haelt so as to allowfree play of these bolts.

lt will he understood from the foregoing Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Apr. 20, 1920.

1919. serial No. 312,836,

diselosure that the springs l' and l5) are always held under compressionby the holts 2li. ilhe amount of the compression may he varied hyadjustment of the nuts 25.

The members` l() may he eonneeted to the ilriving-il'iemher .f and thedriven member 2T in any suitable manner. l have illustrated them,however, as eonnwted by means of a eollar 2H, ke)v 2f) and pin il()acting through an elongated slot 3l in the shank of the member 1l).

lYhen in operation the plates 1;). will turn relativel) to each other anamount whieh will he proportional to the torque, and which will ofeourse depend on the relative strength of the springs. As these platesturn they will eause the bolts to be defleeted and turn in the hall andsocket joint. This in turn will cause the plates to approach eac-.l1other slightly owing to the swing of the bolts, whirh will act as radiusarms. This is permittedhy the elongated slot 3l..

It under any cireumstam-es the mein hers` 1|) are bent out of alinement,the spring will readily adapt itself to the new oondition. and the bolts23 as they turn to the inside of the henri will loosen. The com*pression oi. the spring will then be earried on the outer holts.

For some purposes I may omit the inner spring entirely and drive througha. single spring. For other purposes. however, l find it desirable touse two eoncentrie springs, and in some instances to place these under amutual torsional strain.

lVhile I have shown hut a single embodi- 'ment ol my invention it is tobe understood that it is capable of mam7 modifications. ('haiigestherefore in the fonstruetion and arrangement may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in theappended claims.

What I- elaim as new am! desire to eure Letters Patent is.

1. In a flexible coupling, a pair of o posingr members, a pair ofsprings un er a. mutual torsional strain secured to said members andadditional means flexibly eonnecting said membersl for placing saidsprings under initial compression.

2. In a flexible coupling, a pair of o posing members, a air ofeoncentricaly arranged springs un er a mutual torsional strain securedto said members and additional means fiexibl connecting said members forplacing said springs under initial compression.

il. In a flexible coupling, a. pair of o )posing members, a pair ofsprings uner a mutual torsional strain secured to said members andflexibly mounted rods connecting said members for pla ring;r saidsprings under initial compression.

4. In a. flexible coupling, a pair of oppbsing members, a springrsecured to said members and rods connecting said members and having aball and socket mounting therein for placingr said spring;r underinitial rompression.

il. ln a flexible couplingir.` a pair of oppos in#r members. a springrsevnred to said niembers and adjnslable additional means liexi bl \.vonneetin r said members for plm-ing said spring under initialvompression.

il. fhwiblo ronpling. adapted to ronma't two alim-d shafts, a pair ofopposingmem hors mounted on said shafts, ne o? .said members beingfsplined and adaprod lo slide on its shaft, a helical .springr mountedaxially between said members and rods fleuibl)v corr neeting saidopposingr members.

flexible roupling, adapted Ato Connect two alined shafts. a pair ofopposing members mounted on said shafts, one` of seid members beingsplined and adapted to slide on its shaft, a pair of concentric helicalsprings mounted axiallyv 1between said members and rods flexiblyconneeting saicliopposinf members. f. A

8. i flexible coupling, adapted to con nect two alined shafts, a pair ofopposin members mounted on said shafts one o said members being splinedand adapted to slide on its shaft, a helical spring 'mounted axiallybetween said members, rods flexibly connecting said opposing members,and means for-adjusting the pressure on' said springs.

9. ln a shaft coupling, a. pair of opposed nienibers having sockets, aspring between said members, hollow balls rotatable in said sockets androds passing through said balls and adapted to swing` with Vespri-l. losaid meml'iers.

1). ln a shaft coupling, a pair oi' opposed nn'nibrrs haring sorbets. asprim,r between said members, hollowg balls rotatable in said soolets,rods passingr through said balls and adapted to swing with respect to said members, and means for adjusting the lengt-h of said rods.

GEO. F. ECI/(ART.

